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http:\/\/wcu.academia.edu\/TylerKinnear<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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This fall Western Carolina University pioneered a new P5 course designed as a large section lecture\/experiential learning course that engages students in not only the fundamentals of the arts but actual art experiences. Over the course of the semester, students attend and participate in music, theater, and visual arts events across the college. Part of its learning focus is on self-awareness, specifically how an individual\u2019s experiences intersect with the arts and how the arts help to inform those experiences. At the heart of this initiative is the work of Dr. Tyler Kinnear in his third year of teaching at WCU<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Born and raised in Cullowhee,\u00a0<\/span>Kinnear has always been interested in music and art<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0but\u00a0<\/span>he\u00a0<\/span>became fascinated with soundscape when attending British Columbia University.\u00a0<\/span>Now that his journey of education has brought him back to his hometown, he has found the opportunity to take his passion outside of the classroom inviting the community to participate in\u00a0<\/span>exhibits, soundwalks, and<\/span>\u00a0more with the\u00a0<\/span>Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>The resource that Kinnear is most excited about it is the outstanding campus.\u00a0<\/span>He\u00a0<\/span>is a true believer in applied learning and believes that you can find anything on campus to relate to, \u201cWe have this laboratory right on campus!\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Kinnear\u2019s goal for all his students is to grow, obtain self-awareness, and gain confidence. When asked what the most rewarding part in his teaching career has been, he replied when a smile on his face and said, \u201cevery day is a reward!\u201d But more specifically, he finds himself most enjoying teaching students how to play gamelan, which is an Indonesian traditional instrument.\u00a0<\/span>In addition to<\/span>\u00a0helping his students think outside of their own culture,\u00a0<\/span>the most rewarding part this teaching is\u00a0<\/span>seeing the light come to the face of a student who has never touched an instrument before, when they suddenly realize, \u201cI can do this!\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Kinnear has discovered that his true passion is to encourage students to \u201cwake up to their potential\u201d and tap into their creative side.\u00a0 \u201cWe all have it whether we recognize it or not,\u201d he says. One of the ways students discover this is through engagement, not only with each other but with the things around them. After participating in a campus event, students will work together to create online video responses using a software called\u00a0<\/span>Panopto<\/span><\/a>, which\u00a0<\/span>is one of many tools the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Coulter Faculty Commons<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(CFC)<\/span>\u00a0offers the faculty at Western Carolina University.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To help facilitate teaching and learning with such a large class, Kinnear depends on support from technology. He said he came to the CFC\u00a0<\/span>asking for help with a few technological challenges and left with not only clarity, but more amazing ideas<\/span>:<\/span>\u00a0\u201c<\/span>JD Hawes\u202fat the CFC told me about\u00a0<\/span>Poll Everywhere<\/span><\/a>“<\/span>\u00a0and now it is used\u00a0<\/span>regularly to make the classroom more interactive. In addition to this, the\u00a0<\/span>Quick Course Diagnostic<\/span><\/a>\u00a0helped to show what aspects of the experimental classroom design were working and where students wanted to see improvement.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n